Strive to Thrive: August 2020

Welcome to Strive to Thrive: August 2020.

This month I:

• initiated Project Pants,
• prioritized "Money" as my monthly Happiness Project theme,
• experienced an unexpected jolt at work, and
• engaged in a variety of creative activities 

Let's review my month... 

Project Pants

Several weeks ago I launched Project Pants, my personal initiative to reestablish patterns of healthy choices that fit who I am at my core. My black suit pants are emblematic of my motivation as I described in my prior blog post.

During week 4, I faltered a bit. I am doing great at eating lots of healthy produce and attending my Real Appeal meetings. I am even doing pretty well at tracking (almost) everything I eat in MyFitnessPal. I did not meet my goal of walking every day, however. I also ate far more sweets than intended on Friday and Saturday.

Goals for next week:

• Attend weekly Real Appeal meeting
• Track ALL my food every day in MyFitnessPal
• Walk and/or yoga every day

Happiness Project

August's Happiness Project theme was "Money." I made several resolutions related to money:

• Before buying anything, review my questions to ask before making a purchase
• Identify recurring expenditures and look for efficiencies/things to eliminate
• Increase my monthly investment amount

I kept my resolutions and definitely spent less/saved more this month. It was helpful to actually use my "questions to ask before making a purchase" before buying anything. I was surprised how often I was able to reason myself out of making a purchase.

For September, I'm creating my own theme: Healthy Deviance. This is a nod to Pilar Gerasimo's book, "The Healthy Deviant." I am enrolled in "Healthy Deviant U," which begins September 1.

source

My healthy deviance goals are:

• Practice morning minutes daily
• Take ultradian rhythm breaks during my workday
• Practice nighttime wind-down daily
• Participate fully in the virtual course experience

Jolt at Work

Last month I wrote about the success I'm having with establishing boundaries at work. I'm continuing to do well with setting boundaries and enjoying my "Freedom Fridays," but unexpected news has obscured the long-term outlook.

Last week our association's President resigned. In the short run, things won't change much. We've got a great staff, clear strategic direction, strong interim leadership, and an engaged Board of Directors. The organization is in capable hands and well-positioned for continued growth and success.

While I have no doubt that the organization will continue to thrive, I wonder whether I will continue to thrive with the organization. I truly hope that I will, but I also recognize that new leaders make changes to staff and culture. Those changes could be positive or negative, but they are unknown for now, and I need to roll with that uncertainty. 

Creative Activities

I've been continuing to make time to do things that are fun and/or interesting to me. This month I've been learning JavaScript. I have always enjoyed programming, and taking a coding class was on my list of 20 things I want to do in 2020.

I've also been working on a project idea. It's kind of a "choose your own adventure" approach to taking a moment to recharge. I'm not sure if it is a book, an app, or a website. I'm leaning towards a website because then I can use my new coding skills to design it. For now, I'm brainstorming content and letting it emerge conceptually.

I've planted mystery flower seeds to represent my project.
I'm tending to both with no expectations about the outcome.

Accountability

My goals for August were:

1. Implement Happiness Project "Money" resolutions: success!
2. Do Gretchen Rubin's Outer Order, Inner Calm 30-day SMS challenge: success!
3. End the month with a lower body fat percentage: not significantly different

My goals for September are:

1. Achieve healthy deviant goals listed above
2. Spend time each week on joyful and/or creative activities
3. End the month with a lower body fat percentage

See you next month!